GOURMET

MUSKOKA - It’s not quite camping. It’s not quite cottaging. It is, however, catching on quickly.
“Glamping,” short for glamorous camping, is gaining popularity in cottage country and throughout Ontario.
Resorts offering glamping-type experiences are commonplace in Africa, but the term itself has only recently come into parlance.
On this continent, the glamping trend took root during the recession as a means to get away without blowing the bank or parting with modern conveniences. In some corners, it’s derisively been called “camping for wimps,” but glamping’s fledgling popularity means that more and more places are tailoring to those types of experiences.
South of Burk’s Falls on Deer Lake Road, Val Sheekey and her husband Ray operate the Rustic Cabin. On a massive property set on the shores of the Magnetawan River, the cabin offers total solitude.
That’s partially due to its location, and partially due to the Sheekey’s screening process.
“It’s not a party place, that’s for sure,” Sheekey said.
Inside the cabin, which can comfortably accommodate four people, there are two large beds.
“It’s a little bit nicer than sleeping on the ground,” Sheekey said.
There’s also a small kitchen area and a fireplace to keep the cabin warm, if needed. There’s no hydro or running water to the cabin, but a short walk down the bank, a perfect swimming hole awaits in the Magnetawan; a little further up, a seat on the bridge crossing the river offers complete tranquility.
“We’ve had some people that come out and actually want to sleep on this bridge,” Sheekey said with a laugh. “I don’t think I ever would, but we leave that up to them.”
The Sheekey’s house is on the same grounds, but perched well back from the cabin location.
“One of the things is that after the guests arrive, they’ll never see my husband or I around,” Sheekey said. “People come here expecting peace and quiet, and that’s what we offer them.”
Of course, if guests aren’t too sure about the solar shower installed just outside the cabin, Sheekey noted that there’s another option.
“We always let guests know that they’re welcome to use the shower up in the house,” she said.
According to Sheekey, the cabin draws a wide-ranging demographic of people, but really seems to resonate with busy, creative types.
“We tend to get a lot of creative sorts of people here,” she said. “We had a Juno award-winner stay here and write some songs.”
Other sites are offering similar near-rustic experiences. In Algonquin Park, Bartlett Lodge offers platform tents, surrounded by canvas and located amongst the pines. But that’s where any notion of “roughing it” ends.
Both of their platform tents contain comfortable king-sized beds, battery-operated lamps, decks out front and heating units for those chilly Algonquin nights.
Best of all, a washroom cabin, with running water and flushing toilet, sits next door to the tents, and Bartlett offers packages that include meals in their exquisite dining room as part of the cost of the tents.
Marilyn Smith, co-owner of Bartlett Lodge, said the tents offer a taste of Algonquin without the worry.
“The Europeans really seem to love the tents,” she said. “It’s one of those great Canadian experiences.”
Still, even with all the amenities, glamping offers some unique challenges.
Smith related a story of a European couple who had to move from a tent to the cabin because of our favourite little local invaders.
“The bugs were pretty bad at that time and she wasn’t having it,” Smith said. “It really just wasn’t for her.”